A kiss from the wind
by Cheekbonesandcoatcollar
Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC
1. The bleak present

**A kiss from the wind -The Walking dead. Daryl Dixon/OC**

**Chapter 1- The bleak present.**

**Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC**

…**.**

Hey guys! Here I am! With a Walking dead fic! I'm so totally obsessed with this show its ridiculous and though I haven't actually seen series two all the way through yet I'm starting my fic at the end (I know what happens) and moving off onto my own arc from there- doubt there will be any prison in this, especially since I haven't read the graphic novels or seen season 3 so I have no idea what the governor/prison is like. So if you don't want a completely original story then leave now!

For those who are left… I truly hope you enjoy…

And feel free to promptly internet slap me if my character becomes some perfect Southern Belle lady or Mary Sue… Damn I hate them!

Onwards…

…**.**

**Oh! Also, due to not knowing the novels or what's coming next I'm ignoring the whole Andrea getting split from the rest and being saved by the girls whose name I cant remember or pronounce! **

…**.**

Charlotte jerked awake inside her tent, groggily growing alert, unsure of what had roused her from her restless slumber. She listened carefully, eyes slowly adjusting to the dreary morning light, taking into account the scorching summer heat of the recent days and the lack of sunlight in this moment it couldn't have been any later than four or five am. Her watch had stopped working months ago and she had never gotten around to searching out another. No noise followed whatever it had been that had woken her and her eight year old brother Jamie still slept untroubled on the cot beside her own. Charlotte felt her tense shoulders relax a little, the dead couldn't tip toe or sneak, had one of them entered camp it would have been much louder and one of the men on guard would have noticed something. There would have been shots, lots of them. She found herself thankful, not only because it meant everybody was safe but also that Jamie might sleep through the night, a growing boy needed his strength. Regular sleep and food would give him this, and with the lack of food in this post apocalyptic world (at least that's what she had taken to calling it, the dead walking the streets seemed a good enough reason to believe the world had essentially ended) Jamie needed all of the rest he could get. One had to be strong to survive these days.

Another noise roused her from her thoughts, a raised voice, Charlotte rolled her eyes and scrabbled around in the low light for her boots, hoping that another fight wasn't going to begin, God knows with such a large number of dominant males in the group it happened more often than not and tensions were higher than usual since Dave and Tony hadn't returned from their latest supply run. Once her boots were loosely laced she quietly moved out of the tent, wincing as the zip creaked loudly in the quiet of their tent. The air was humid even at this early hour, already sticky and low. The sort of weather that made Charlotte want to jump in the lake and swim until the air cooled again. The chances of that happening however, were almost as slim as the chance of Charlotte waking up to find that all of this horror had just been a bad dream.

She pulled the zip closed half way behind her, letting some air into Jamie, despite the low heat it was still cooler outside than inside the insulated tents.

Twigs and other assorted natural materials crunched beneath the soles of her shoes as she stepped quietly towards the commotion. A shadowed figure stood by the neighbouring tent, a figure so small it was barely visible.

"Betty?" Charlotte asked.

"Hush girl!" the elderly lady hissed, "Get over 'ere."

Charlotte tip toed the few metres between them and stood beside her much smaller and much older friend. Charlotte didn't know much about Betty Paige, only her name and that she was a fighter despite her age. The woman refused to talk about her past, simply sighting that it was all gone now. Betty still refused to speak of her age, besides she always said it was rude to ask a lady her age and even in these times manners shouldn't be lost.

"What's happening?" Charlotte asked, squinting through the gloomy light towards the middle of the camp where a number of figures could just be made out. Despite the impeded vision it was easy to see that each blur was agitated.

"You're daddy ain't happy. Randall and them still ain't returned from looking for Dave and Tony." Betty whispered, "Thinks there might be more of the dead around that town than we thought. Woulda had to take a lot of 'em to take down all five of 'em."

"Yeah." Charlotte mused. "Does dad think they're all dead then?"

"Yeah. Sent Andrew and Oliver out after 'em this morning'. Graham was one of them. Jon ripped to pieces from what I gathered. They recognised the clothing at any rate. Weren't much left."

Charlotte grimaced, "They find Randall? Dave? Tony?"

"See, that's why your dad ain't happy. Randall weren't nowhere to be found and they didn't see anythin' of Dave 'n' Tony either. Your dad reckons they might've gotten themselves drunk again, passed out somewhere. Might've gotten themselves eaten even."

"No supplies?" Charlotte asked, recognising the underlying sadness in Betty's voice for what it was, not sadness for the possible loss of five of the group but for the lack of food and provisions. They'd been running low for a while now, lower than usual and Dave and Tony had been the first provision run for weeks.

"Nothing. He's sending some people out soon as the sun rises fully."

"I wanna go. See if I can grab some stuff for Jamie and for Emma. Vitamins or something'" Emma, the orphaned girl Betty had been travelling with for a few weeks before Charlotte and the group had found them. Only thirteen, it was a bleak world for her begin her teenage years.

"You think your dad'll let you?"

Charlotte hesitated, "I can only ask. He might let me this time."

A burly man of forty eight Lawrence Pearce was an intimidating man, having fathered his first child at only twenty three he'd been a workless drunk for almost the entirety of Charlottes life, only when the world had gone to tatters and the dead had started roaming the streets searching for living meals had he stepped up to the role of protector. Frequently violent towards his late wife and children, alcohol the mans only respite it seemed that Lawrence Pearce had been made for this kind of bloody, ugly world. With so many billions dead the man felt right at home and was higher up the food chain than he had ever been before. He ruled this group with an iron fist, the men, most of which were violent rednecks and criminals revered to him, worshipped his strength. Charlotte felt a pang of sadness, Randall, a few years younger than herself had been one of the nicer ones. She found herself hoping that he had met his end quickly and as painlessly as possible.

Charlotte moved slowly towards the scuffle, her father's voice growing louder with each word. Andrew, a typical redneck, with broad shoulders and a temper to fit any stereotype stood his ground, gun slung lazily over his shoulder. Andrew scared Charlotte, had since the moment she'd met him and he had all but leered at her and then slid his eyes towards Emma. She'd made sure to keep an eye on the child at all times since.

"Lawrence," he said, even his voice made Charlotte shiver, "If the boys are dead we just send out more. We got plenty a grunts to spare."

"Get it done, Andrew."

"Dad." Charlotte called, as she moved around Andrews large bulk towards her father, "Can I talk to you."

"Fire away." Her father said, still standing menacingly in the middle of the camp. Charlotte turned to Andrew with a small glare, barely noticeable to that idiot, and said, "Alone."

Andrew left the area quickly, a few grumbled choice words as he did so.

"Can I go on the raid today? I need to get a few things for the children."

"You can give a list to Andrew." Lawrence replied, dismissively, tone leaving no room for an argument.

"Dad, I'd really rather go myself I-"

"Shut up." came the quiet but just as menacing interruption. Charlotte felt her throat constrict and stepped back. "I said no. Get out of my sight. Wake the kids and get some laundry going. Take your axe."

Charlotte nodded quickly and moved away, as was almost always the case with her father, it was better to admit defeat than anger him. She moved quickly back towards her tent and motioned for Betty to follow. Today she would wash the camps clothes, play the woman's part as most of the camp expected and just hope that Andrew returned with food and provisions. It was better to do as you were told than incur some kind of punishment.

…**.**

"Where in the hell do we go now?" Daryl Dixon growled angrily, voice rising in pitch, crossbow slung carelessly across his back.

"We keep moving." Rick Grimes said, surveying the stretch of road, eyes pointedly missing the scrawled message that poor Sophia would never see, skimming over the heartbroken forms of Maggie and Hershel and Beth who had lost yet more people important to them just the night before. "We look for more gas if we can, find somewhere else to go. I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Lori Grimes asked coldly, "You can't not know, Rick."

"I don't know!" The frazzled sheriff shouted, "I'm thinking."

"You wanna stop shoutin'?" Daryl said, "You're gonna be attractin' all the walkers this way."

Rick sighed heavily, "We keep movin' forward."

"Walkers!" Glenn cried suddenly, raising his bat above his head. The group moved in unison, weapons pointed towards the moving forms. Tense and waiting for a good shot.

"Wait." Rick said, noticing an overly tall, broad muscled man, flanked by two smaller men, all of whom were heavily armed. "They're alive."

"They're what?" Andrea questioned, "They're alive."

"Why hi there!" A cheery Southern drawl sounded, "My names Andrew and are we surprised to see you."

…**..**

**So.. Yeah, first chapter! Let me know what you think! Hope you enjoyed! I'm a little nervous cause there are so many incredible Daryl/OC fics out there! **


	2. Groups merging

**A kiss from the wind -The Walking dead. Daryl Dixon/OC**

**Chapter 2- Groups merging**

**Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC**

…**.**

Yo! There's been a little confusion about the opening chapter… Charlotte is part of Randall's group. Randall being the boy Shane killed. Dave and Tony are the names of the two men Rick killed in the bar. I gave Randall's companions the names Graham and Oliver because I'm not sure if they had canon names!

This takes place after the walker herd attacked Hershel's farm and Shane and Dales deaths. Hence Hershel and Maggie's new losses, Jimmy and Patricia and of course Dale and Shane. We can also assume that it is this time from the fact that Randall hadn't returned and Rick's group were once again on the highway.

Anyway- I'll try and clear some stuff up in this chapter =]

…**.**

**Oh! Also, due to not knowing the novels or what's coming next I'm ignoring the whole Andrea getting split from the rest and being saved by the girls whose name I cant remember or pronounce! **

…**.**

Rick eyed the newcomers wearily, they looked to be the sort of people who would shoot first and ask questions later, weapons ready to be aimed and fired at any moment and he felt his body tense again. The initial relief of seeing more survivors overshadowed by weariness, after Shane's betrayal he knew he could not trust anyone.

"There's so few of you." The one who referred to himself as Andrew said, surveying the group of ten straggly survivors.

"There were more of us. We were over run at our last camp." Rick refrained from mentioning the word farm.

"Where you headin' now?" Andrew asked, eyeing the gasless vehicles the group had vacated.

"We don't know." Rick replied, eyes landing on Daryl and Glenn both of whom stood alert, weapons ready to be raised at a moments notice, Rick felt better that they had his back.

Shane had always been that person, but Shane was gone, in mind before in body and soul. Glenn and especially Daryl were good substitutes.

"What's your name then?"

"Rick Grimes. We were thinking' of headin' South, maybe find a new place to camp out, see if we can grab some supplies."

"South's over run. Your best bet is North." one of the smaller men said, from Andrews left.

"North then." Lori stated from the side, weary also.

"What about tonight?" Andrew asked, eyes flicking towards the various weapons in the groups hands. Andrea's pistol, Rick's trusty gun. Hershel's gun, that had once belonged to Shane. Daryl's crossbow.

"We're still workin' that out." Rick replied.

"You're an officer?"

"Yeah."

"Were camped not far from here." Andrew said, "There's quite a few of us. Plenty of room. Guarded well enough. We were just headin' back from a supply run. We got plenty."

"I don't-"

"Come on. We gotta stick together in these times. There's not enough of us 'round not to." Andrew said with a charming smile.

"Rick-" Lori started.

"We'll leave you to decide alone." Andrew stepped back.

"Andrew." One of the smaller men hissed as they moved from the group. "What're you doin'? Lawrence won't be happy if we drag stragglers with us."

"Look at them, Simon." Andrew smiled, "Weapons, lots of 'em by the looks of it. Juicy broads too."

"But-"

"You know what Lawrence said, we gotta utilise what we can. They could be useful and if Lawrence decides they ain't then we stick 'em in the woods and take their things instead." Andrew smirked eyes roaming towards the debating group, "Besides, I like the blonde. She looks feisty."

…**.**

Charlotte scrubbed the grimy shirt in her hands against the washing board, wishing furiously for a washing machine. She always felt dirtier after washing the laundry, despite the water and soap used. She wasn't sure to whom this belonged too, though it was rather large so most likely one of the burlier men. She'd hang it up and they could grab their own clothing.

"Jamie!" she called, as she watched the boy trot towards the trees, earning a glare from their armed guard, "Get over here."

She didn't want Jamie anywhere near the trees, nor did she want him anywhere near their guard, placed not only to watch for walkers but to watch them too, should they decide to run.

Charotte's hand moved to the axe beside her, a large wood cutting variety, pushed into her hand by her father the day they had made a break from it from their first dwelling when the dead first started walking. Her father had made up his mind to kill them, hack them apart, before it had even become common knowledge to do so.

Sometimes, Charlotte thought about it, grabbing Jamie, telling Betty to raise her own weapon and making a run for it.

They wouldn't make it far, even if they got away unscathed and managed to find a place to hunker down neither of them, women or children could hunt food, Charlotte could probably go on supply runs but Betty, fit as she was for her age was hardly considerable protection for the children if the dead should appear in a large group.

As much as she hated this group, despised half of the men with their roaming eyes and hands and as much as she feared and despised her violent father she knew they were as safe as they could be here. If they did as they were told, avoided fights and did their share of the work they would be okay.

Despite the groups considerable flaws they were useful, they hunted game, brought back food.

"Jamie!" she cried, dropping the board, shirt and scentless soap onto the river bank beside Emma who sat dutifully handing Betty another piece of clothing once she finished up the one before. She jogged towards her wayward brother and grabbed him by the back of his wrinkled shirt.

"What have I told you Jamie?" She hissed, "Get back over there!"

"But-"

"Now Jamie." She growled, eyes pleading with the boy. He was only eight and though he knew things were bad he had thankfully been mostly protected from the atrocities of this new world so far and didn't understand why he couldn't run off into the woods on a whim, nor did he understand why menacing men constantly stood guard when they went away from the group. He especially didn't understand that said men would happily turn their gun on them without a moments thought, Lawrence's children or not.

The boy trudged sullenly towards the river bed where Charlotte noticed Betty begin to berate him. She moved to return also but found a calloused hand wrapped hard around her wrist. She stopped dead and turned towards the guard, Davey or David or something of the like if she remembered correctly.

"You wanna keep the kid under control." He whispered pulling Charlotte closer than necessary and breathing deeply, breath ghosting across her neck, she cringed and pulled away roughly.

"You wanna stop touching me?" she spat, yanking her wrist, unable to escape the grasp though.

"You gonna tell daddy?" He smirked, thumb rubbing across her wrist what should have been sensually.

"Yes." She hissed. "You know what he said."

The hand released her slowly, Dave or David glaring with enough force to kill.

"Sorry Charlotte." Jamie said, as she flopped onto the river bank beside him, hands shaking, "I didn't mean to get you told off."

"It's okay kiddo." she shot him a smile, wishing in this moment that her mother were here, her mother had been a kind woman but firm, she had always known how to punish her kids without hurting them. Charlotte had been raised well, save for her father. Jamie however had been only three when she had passed away and had only Charlotte to look to for female authority and overall protection from the bad people of the world.

"Just don't do it again." She warned, "You know its not safe to be running off."

"I just wanted to look for the mean people." He said sadly, meaning the dead, "I'm a man and I want to protect the girls."

"You're not a man yet Jamie, you're still a boy. You'll get your day to be protector." She sighed sadly, he would definitely get his time in this world. "But until then Jamie, you don't run off, they will kill you. Do you understand me?"

"Get back to cleaning!" The guard called threateningly.

Charlotte ignored him, "Do you understand me?" she repeated.

"Yes."

"Good. Now hand me the soap and board and get to work." she said, noticing her brother looked suitably scalded.

They worked diligently, as was always the case. Betty was a born worker, Charlotte thought she probably had been her whole life, she pushed the to work and they got things done much quicker than they would have were Betty not there to motivate them. "You're twenty five Charlotte." Betty would say, "When I was twenty five I ran my own house and worked two jobs."

Charlotte found that it was rather redundant to mention the fact that the _dead were walking the streets_ and that put a bit of a dampener on the whole, house family and normal life idea, Betty would just ignore her anyway.

No matter how fast they worked however, with so many members of the group and their own clothes to wash the sky was darkening as they finished. The guard had been changed twice by then and Charlotte was glad that they had a less vocal and down right creepy guard to escort them through the woods and back to camp.

She dropped the last wrung out shirt into one of the baskets and handed her board and bagged soap to Jamie who was already carrying the rest. She hoisted the third basket and followed behind Betty.

"You okay Emma?" Charlotte asked the thirteen year old, who was tucking her shoulder length brown hair into a headband.

"Yeah." She smiled.

"Basket too heavy?"

"No."

"Well you can take mine too then!" She joked, dropping her load on top of the girls, "Too heavy for me."

"No!" The girl giggled, " I can't lift that!"

Charlotte rolled her eyes smiling, "Oh, fine!" she lugged her own lot again as the latest armed watcher called, "Hurry up! Sun's getting' lower."

They followed behind dutifully as the boy, he couldn't have been much older than nineteen led with the barrel of his gun. Charlotte and the others were not graced with guns, her axe came in handy sure, but required close range. She had only killed (re-killed?) four or five of them, and had felt physically sick after the first time. The person she had killed, and that's what they had been at one point, wore a ripped suit, could have been a lawyer or a professor or a teacher. He could have had a family, friends. She learned however further on that they dead would not stop to wonder about their victims lives and the survivors could not do the same. It had gotten easier from then, though she still found herself wondering sometimes, what that person would be doing now, if the world had stayed the same, who they would be with. She didn't think that anybody with a heart could just kill someone and not at least wonder.

They moved through the trees into the clearing quickly, Charlotte bringing up the rear, axe held awkwardly and dangerously under her armpit.

"What the heck is happenin' up there?" The guard asked, immediately abandoning the four as they were safely in the camp.

"What is happening?" Betty asked, dropping her own basket onto the ground and following after him.

"Stick close to me." Charlotte implored the kids, following in Betty's steps, laundry forgotten at the clearing end. From what she could tell most of the camp were gathered at the top of the clearing, away from sleeping quarters, circled around something. She gently pushed her way through the crowd hearing her fathers commanding voice up ahead.

"Sorry," she grumbled, moving her axe out of the way of other peoples flesh and limbs, she pushed through the crowd until she made it to the edge of the circle eyes landing on a large group of people she had never seen in her life, dirty, exhausted looking people who looked on edge at the sheer number of people. She also noticed a number of unfamiliar tents and belongings set up in an isolated corner off to the side. These people, a blonde, gripping tightly to her gun, a thin woman with short greying hair and sad eyes, a man, the leader it seemed, in a Sherriff's deputy uniform, an Asian man, possibly Chinese or Korean holding tightly to a young girl with short brown hair, a tall angry looking man with an impressive sized crossbow an older man and teenaged blond girl and on the end a thin brunette holding to what must have been her son maybe the same age as Emma looked terrified and tired.

Charlotte frowned as her ears focused on what her father was saying.

"Why of course you can stay here as long as you need" Lawrence Pearce smiled, and it seemed only Charlotte recognised said smile for how menacing it really was, "We've got lotsa room and provisions."

"We wont be stayin' long." The man in uniform smiled gratefully though his shoulders were tense. "We just need to rest and recoup. Get a plan of some kind."

"Of course."

"Thank you so much for your kindness, we can assign some of our people for watch duty."

"Now don't be silly Rick. We got plenty'a people and a rota to match. You all look exhausted. Set up camp and get some sleep. We can sort all that stuff in the morning'" Lawrence said charmingly.

"Thank you." The man in uniform, Rick, said gratefully.

Charlotte sighed as people began to disperse making room fro the other group to move, and grabbed hold of Jamie's hand. She knew exactly what would happen next.

The scuffle happened before she'd even opened her eyes and it seemed only seconds before the considerably smaller group were overwhelmed, weaponless and restrained.

Fooled by her fathers fake charm and hospitality.

"What the hell are you doin'?" The man who had previously held the crossbow spat towards Andrew who now held the weapon, "Give that damn thing back!"

"Let go of me!" the curvy blonde cried angrily, jerking away from one of the men who Charlotte didn't know the name of as he held tightly and inappropriately to her waist.

"Shut up." Lawrence said, "Y'see, I haven't decided what to do with you yet. Don't know why Andrew didn't take your weapons and be done with ya."

"The old guys a doctor Lawrence." Andrew stated.

"I'm a vet." said old man said, sounding resigned.

"Figure the cops got brains and an aim. There's always bait if they're completely useless."

At the mention of bait the group begin to struggle again, uselessly, and Charlotte finds her eyes drawn to the boy. He looks terrified. She immediately fears for him, other than herself and the children her father finds no use for women or kids, the group however see women as play things and their stories of the helpless girls and women they find on raids make Charlotte sick to the stomach. Rape and torture and who knows what else. They only kept Betty alive because she was an incredible culinary talent, able to make even the worst of foods, tinned usually and meat, rabbit, squirrel or whatever else the hunting groups could find taste good. Something that no doubt kept her alive.

"Keep them in the tents we'll decide in the morning." Lawrence said, tone meaning end of discussion.

" You can't do this!" Rick cried causing a number of people to raise their weapons.

"Rick stop!" The brunette woman cried, grabbing onto her son as she was released, "Stop!"

Rick immediately stopped struggling and was in turn released from the human restraints.

"Charlotte." her father called, "Come here."

She moved forward, into the fray. "Take the weapons." Her father instructed. "Put them in the trunk." A key was pressed into her hand, followed by a number of guns to her arms. She nodded, avoiding eye contact with the newcomers. "Come back for the crossbow and bat."

The trip to the trunk took less than a minute and Charlotte kept one ear to the commotion, she noticed to her right one of the men on guard, Cody was watching her, as she unlocked the trunk of the blue four by four and placed the guns one by one inside, putting the safety on each one as she did.

She moved quickly back to the group and handed the bat to Emma who dutifully jogged to the vehicle. "Gimme that back!" The previous owner growled, still restrained, Charlotte looked at him as he flicked dirty blonde hair from his eyes, he reminded her of the men who followed her father, an angry red neck. Andrew handed the cross bow to her instead and she flinched as the man turned his anger towards her tugging even harder against the hands holding him back. Charlotte moved quickly towards the truck and placed he crossbow on top of the pile. Swiftly locking the trunk she moved again, reluctant to incur the wrath of an angry redneck.

"Keys." Andrew said abruptly, when she returned snatching the keys from her out stretched hand.

"Any of you try anything in the night we kill you. Understood?" Lawrence threatened, aiming his own gun at the still snarling redneck.

"Daryl cut it out!" Rick shouted, and the man stopped almost as if he'd been shocked.

"You all heard me. One misstep and you're dead." Lawrence reiterated.

Charlotte felt her heart sink at the new groups plight. She didn't know what her father was planning. She felt a number of glares from the newcomers as they were led at gunpoint towards their sleeping area.

She only hoped that if they cared to look they could see how sorry she was through her eyes.

…**.**

**Right, got that out the way! Should get some Charlotte/Daryl interaction soon! Please review poppet's, so very nervous and unsure of this one as the Walking dead is so sacred to me! **

**Thanks! **


	3. The doused fires

**A kiss from the wind -The Walking dead. Daryl Dixon/OC**

**Chapter 3- The doused fires.**

**Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC**

…**.**

**IM SO SORRY TO THOSE WHO KEPT GETTING THESE UPDATES, I HAD TO EDIT THIS CHAPTER AND HAD AN ATTACK ON ME!**

Hey guys! Thanks for the great response! A few more reviews from the alerts wouldn't go amiss though! =P Onwards…

…**.**

**Oh! Also, due to not knowing the novels or what's coming next I'm ignoring the whole Andrea getting split from the rest and being saved by the girls whose name I cant remember or pronounce! **

…**.**

Charlotte sat beside Jamie next to the dwindling fire that evening, half listening to the boys whispered ramblings, a weary eye on the newcomers camp.

Three guards stood strategically placed around their tents, there was nothing those people could do that wouldn't be seen. No escape. Andrew was one of them. He stood near the crossbow wielders tent, Daryl, Charlotte remembered his name to be. He was talking, possibly to one of the others, she couldn't work out the words.

Betty sat at another fire in the corner of the camp, cooking something up that smelled disgusting but would no doubt taste as close to heavenly as you could get these days. Some kind of meat, possibly rabbit, Charlotte thought there might have been some brought back from the last hunt. Messy, bullet riddled animals, more gunshot wounds than edible meat. But it was something.

Perhaps she could take the children fishing, she was no expert but had been once or twice during the rare days her father was sober and loving in her childhood. She could probably create make shift rods. She made a mental note to enquire later.

She noticed movement in the new camp, cramped and close together as it was. The brunette woman moved from inside her tent, followed by the officer. They seemed to be discussing something heatedly. Charlotte surmised they were probably married, or at least in a long term relationship, the boy looked similar to them both. A full family in this place. It was good. The redneck exited his own, still angry, his voice carrying further than the others but still just an angry drone from where she sat. The Asian, Korean she was now sure, followed and soon a full blown discussion began.

The guarding men moved closer in, a silent threat that seemed to simmer the group down.

Charlotte found her view blocked by Betty's torso. "Yer dad says you have to take 'em their food."

"What?" Charlotte squeaked, eyes shooting back to the angrily pacing members of the group, the bloody prisoners.

"You heard. Jamie, Emma, get to it." Betty informed, "you're the least intimidatin' at least he's feeding them."

Charlotte reached for the spare plates, the brightly coloured plastic picnic variety that had been raided from a shop when the group first rallied together. There were plenty spare, many members had been killed, some had left. They took two plates each, Charlotte pointed Emma towards the beautiful short haired woman with the sad eyes and the blonde teenager, Jamie towards the mother and son. Betty, somehow balancing four of her own, probably from years of experience followed behind. Charlotte moved towards the older blonde woman, ignoring the indignant shouts of "Why're they getting' fed first?" from some camp members.

"Get yer own!" Betty cried brazenly in response.

"Hi." Charlotte said quietly, avoiding the woman's hard eyes. "Dinner."

She took the plate with a mumbled, "Thanks" before turning back to her tent in a blatant dismissal. Charlotte frowned and turned towards the others, Betty handed Rick his food and the trusting man smiled warmly, thankfully despite their situation. Emma stood shyly beside the short haired lady who looked even sadder than before though a warm smile graced her lips. The blonde teen stood beside her, a hand placed comfortingly on her shoulder. Jamie smiled shyly as he handed the older boy his food and Charlotte smiled.

Breathing deeply she hesitantly carried the second plate towards her last destination, the meat and strange mashed substance looked dreadful but she felt her own stomach rumbling at the _idea_ of readily available food, she only hoped that there was some saved when she returned.

The red neck, she didn't know the guy but that's what she had taken to calling him in her mind, sat menacingly outside of his tent, glaring at nothing in particular. She approached hesitantly.

"I-" she started, "I bought-"

Her voice cracked as the glare landed on her face. "I bought you food."

"Don't want it." the red neck, _Daryl_ she reminded herself said petulantly.

"You should eat-" Charlotte began placing the plate onto the small table outside his tent, before she could finish the action or her sentence though the small fold away chair he had been sat on flew backwards and he was on his feet, shouting, "I said I don't want it. Get the hell away!"

Charlotte jumped backwards and collided with a body, "Easy there." The older man said, arms steadying as Rick moved between herself and Daryl and practically knocked the man back on his chair.

"Now you stop it!" he cried, "She ain't the enemy here. We ain't never gonna get away if you go killin' members of their group."

"Wasn't gonna kill 'er."

"Hurtin' then. Same difference." he turned to Charlotte, "You okay ma'am."

Charlotte nodded, "Yeah, everything's fine." she said loudly, towards Andrew and another weapon toting boy, Peter, who stood guns pointed. She moved away from the blondes hands and to safety as Rick moved to try and placate their guards, apologizing for the commotion. Charlotte felt for him, he obviously knew they shouldn't be here and would do anything to protect his boy. Having guns pointed at their camp was not going to protect his son, all that was needed was a sweaty trigger finger to slip and someone could die.

"It's fine Andrew." she said, suddenly feeling inexplicably angry, cutting over the officers voice "Put the Goddamn gun down." She roughly pushed the barrel of the shot gun down, avoiding her foot space, "There's a kid in there, not to mention Jamie and Emma."

The gun moved willingly but a hand came up to her shoulder and pushed her roughly to the ground, the barrel she had just seconds ago moved now hovering above her own face.

"Hey!" the older blonde woman cried, "Stop it."

Charlotte felt her throat constrict, her palms grow clammy. "You ever touch my gun again," Andrew growled, "I'll kill you with it."

Time seemed to slow, she could hear Betty soothing Jamie, possibly he was crying, she could see Officer Rick a hand still pressed against the rednecks chest despite the fact that he now stood taking in the scene before them. Glare now directed towards Andrew. The rest of the camp stood still, both Rick's and her own. Tense.

Charlotte wondered if her father could see, though she knew he would simply leave them to it. The men were not aloud to treat Charlotte, or Betty and Emma by extension like the whores they were used to. Like nameless sacks of meat for them to rape and abuse sexually over and over again. That was Lawrence Pearce's rules regarding his daughter. Bullets, bruising and general creepiness however was not covered and the men, the violent ones at least, took full advantage of the latter two.

She couldn't change inside her own tent without wondering if someone stood nearby, just waiting to come inside, couldn't bathe without feeling the eyes of whatever guard was on duty on her skin. David, from earlier at the river was one of the worst. Charlotte believed that were her father to ever recede his rule or pass away he would be the first to step forward.

Andrew moved the gun from her face, sneering, "Get outta here."

Charlotte scrambled to her feet, glaring as strongly as she could manage, hot tears pricking at her eyes as she stretched out her sore spine, she'd landed hard and it hurt.

"Asshole." She heard the blonde woman she had given food to say as she scuttled back to her own tent, dutifully ignoring the argument that broke out between the woman and Andrew.

She climbed onto the floor below Jamie's empty cot and pulled her sleeping bag over her, boots and all, though she didn't cry and she no longer felt hungry.

The loud voices carried and there was an underlying fear that they might attract any lonely dead people. She didn't think there would be hordes of them, not this far from civilisation anyway. At least she hoped not.

Jamie entered the tent what seemed like only a few minutes later, Charlotte knew that Betty would have kept a hold of him whilst it all went down.

"You okay Charlotte?" he asked quietly, lying on the floor beside her. She turned to face him and nodded.

"There's food left out there." he said.

"I'm not hungry Jamie. Have you eaten?"

The boy nodded and she moved forward to place a kiss to his pale forehead. "Okay. Get into bed. We gotta help with breakfast tomorrow."

"Good night Charlotte."

Jamie slipped into sleep quickly, it had been a long day. Adrenalin, caused by fear kept Charlotte awake however, long after the voices in both camps had died down and the fires had been doused. It was late before she slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

…**.**

She woke groggily the next morning, roused by the unzipping of her tent, she instinctively tensed and sat up, ready to protect Jamie with whatever it took.

She sighed with relief when Emma's young face popped through the hole.

"Betty says to get up." Emma said, "We need to help with breakfast."

"Course. We'll be right there." Charlotte said with a strained smile, noticing Jamie slowly waking behind her.

Charlotte wanted to lie back down and sleep for an eternity the events from the night before had left her exhausted, the adrenalin completely gone leaving a body completely crashed and running on barely any sleep and no food. She immediately regretted skipping dinner, wishing that she had sucked it up and nourished herself.

"C'mon Jamie. Get dressed."

She moved slowly, wincing as her spine protested, though she was moving so it was only bruised or sore, nothing worse. Straightening up to normal height hurt like hell but she soon managed. By habit she moved onto her first job , collecting empty plates from around the camp, often people were too tired to return plates before they slept, the majority wouldn't even bother most of the time. That was a broads job they'd say.

She moved automatically, trudging back and forth piling plates near Emma who would wash them with the river water as best she could before they were used again.

"Get the rest." Betty said, indicating the new camp, eyes moving over Charlotte but offering no questions of health and no offers to take a rest. She wouldn't baby her or let her off of her duties. Charlotte loved that about Betty.

She wearily scanned the guards, Andrew of course was no where to be seen, thank the lord for small mercies and it looked like none of the newcomers were awake. She stepped quietly past the new guards, and nodded, picking up the plates as she went, they had obviously taken the initiative and copied the people here in where to put their plates. It wasn't like they could casually stroll to the cooking area to put it away themselves.

She moved left to right counting as she moved and hesitated again at the last tent, even in such a small area seemingly isolated from the rest. She toed quietly over and cursed under her breath when she couldn't find the plate. She had no intention of asking anyone and moved to leave.

"Here." A voice said gruffly from her right. She jumped, startled and saw the dirty man stood off to the side, the bright yellow plate held out to her by a grubby hand.

She paused. Moved to take it and mumbled, "Thanks."

She scurried back towards the breakfast area and Betty, dropping a plate and stumbling as she did so.

"You get any sleep girl?" Betty asked, exasperated.

"No." Charlotte whispered as Jamie moved from their tent, looking about as refreshed as a child could, "Not much at all."

…**.**

**I HAVE TO END IT THERE! I'm bloody exhausted after a 15 hour overnight work shift. Damn! Hope you liked! Please review and let me know! Love you all! x**


	4. Merciful

**A kiss from the wind -The Walking dead. Daryl Dixon/OC**

**Chapter 4- Merciful**

**Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC**

…**.**

Just saw 'Triggerfinger' the whole Sophia wasn't mine, line made me so sad! Would it be weird if I rewrote this Carol/Daryl? Haha! No I wouldn't do that but I think Melissa McBride is absolutely stunning and really hope to utilize her wonderful character later in this story!

I wasn't originally going to make Andrew such an arse but I had a great review from HeavensWeatherHellsCompany saying how much she hated Andrew and I haven't had a character in a story in a long time that people really despised so I think Ill enjoy writing this character =]

…**.**

**Oh balls! I just saw that the third baddy with Randall at the bar got away in the show! Feck! Ignore the show, my story is obviously the truth =P **

…**.**

Charlotte scoffed her breakfast and wished there were seconds to go around. The thick, lumpy porridge was just on the wrong side of warm and stuck to the roof of the mouth. It barely filled the void in her stomach, left over from days of hunger but it was great. Real solid food. Almost solid food.

She delivered the bowls, plastic, brightly coloured like the plates to the new camp, this time Betty took the initiative and took the food to Daryl.

"Thanks" the blonde woman said as Charlotte handed her the food, "Looks good."

Charlotte shot her a small smile as she passed the second helping to the young boy. "It looks terrible." she laughed in response.

The blonde smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes, she'd been toughened by this new world Charlotte could tell.

"Thank you." the boy smiled, as he tucked into his food hungrily. She knelt to his height, he was a tall boy but sitting down they were the same height, "What's your name then?"

"Carl."

"Hi Carl, my names Charlotte." she glanced around at the guard behind her. "If any of these men are mean to you, you let me know okay?"

The wide eyed boy nodded the affirmative and she smiled openly "But I hear you're the Sherriff in this place so maybe you'll have to look after me instead." She indicated the boys hat that no doubt had belonged to his father, he grinned and nodded. Pulling herself up she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and he moved back to his food.

"Charlotte is it?" A male voice said behind her.

She turned, "Officer." she stated.

"Rick Grimes, I wanted to thank you for your hospitality."

"It's nothin'" she replied, "I don't exactly cook it." She moved towards the edge of their camp and the officer followed.

"I also wanted to apologize, for last nights trouble. Daryl can be a little… temperamental."

Charlottes lips quirked, "It's okay, most of the people here are worse."

"I noticed. Does that sort of stuff happen a lot? With the gun?"

"Sometimes. It's usually best to do as you're asked and stay out of the way." Charlotte explained, surveying the motion in the bigger camp before them,

"They're not good people."

"Where do you fit in here?" he asked, shielding his eyes from the glaring sun, "I don't see many females round here."

Charlotte moved some stray brown hair behind her ear and said, "There's only three of us, myself, Betty and Emma. My dad he-"

"You're dad?" Rick interrupted, "Lawrence?"

"Yeah-" Charlotte began but found herself trailing off as she noticed the three figures walking through the trees, one limping, held up by the other two. A few people dropped their current activities and moved to help them.

"What's happening?" she asked to herself as she moved forward into the group.

She noticed Tobey, he had been a friend of Randall's favouring his left leg, his right bloody and bent at an awkward angle.

"What happened?" Lawrence's voice boomed as he pushed towards the men. The others, holding Tobey up laid him onto the ground where he writhed in pain.

"We were scouting for more food, thought we saw a deer." One of the companions said, "He went up the tree to see and fell."

"That looks really bad." Emma commented.

"Get the doctor." Lawrence told Andrew and an older man, possibly late forties, that was relatively new to the group. He'd been travelling with his nephew, Charlotte remembered, though the teenage boy had been dead when the man had arrived at their camp.

They moved with conviction, towards Rick's small camp of prisoners who also stood watching what unfolded. Perhaps, like Charlotte had a first they wondered if someone had been bitten or if one of the dead had infiltrated the campsite.

Charlotte frowned as Andrew stormed towards the old man, menacingly tall, grabbed him by the forearm and growled, "Come with me."

"Dad!" The short haired brunette cried, pulling angrily at Andrews arm, "Get off of him!"

"Maggie, let go." The doctor said calmly, "It's okay."

"Glenn!" The woman cried to the Korean man, "Do something!"

The Korean, Glenn, moved forward fast, his small stature nothing compared to Andrews bulk and was soon knocked backwards to the ground. Maggie, moved to help what Charlotte guessed might be her boyfriend and the old man was dragged over towards where Tobey lay.

"Look him over, doc." Andrew sneered.

"I've told you, I'm a vet!" The old man shouted.

"It's a leg doc, animals have them too." Andrew shot back, pushing him to the ground by the back of his neck, "Get to it."

The man grunted as his knees met the hard ground and Charlotte winced.

"I'll need to cut this fabric away. I cant see anything if I don't."

"I have some scissors," Charlotte perked up, already on the move towards her tent and belongings.

"Forget it," a voice answered, "Use my knife."

A sharp blade was passed through the group surrounding them, the majority of camp by the looks of it, except the guards on watch for both the camp and Rick's crew.

"These are my best jeans!" Tobey complained as the old man fisted a handful of denim and lifted it from the leg, he slid the knife down the seam and the fabric peeled away slowly. The leg was definitely broken, you didn't need to be trained in any medical field to realise that and a bone poked harshly through ripped skin, white against the thick red blood. Charlotte felt her stomach lurch.

"Charlotte." the old man was saying, "Charlotte. I need you're help."

"I- I can't- can't one of them do-"

"I ain't having none of those faggots touchin' me!" Tobey cried. Charlotte dropped to her knees.

"I need you to put pressure just above the break. Hold his leg down. Do not let his leg move." the old man explained.

"Sir I-" Charlotte tried to protest.

"My names Hershel and I need you to hold down his leg." he commanded.

Charlotte nodded and placed her hands onto his knee, flinching at the scream of pain it caused. "I'm sorry," she said, over her shoulder to Tobey, "Just stay still."

"I'm going to push it back in. Five, four, three -" On three Hershel pushed with all his might onto the protruding bone and it made a disgusting squelch as it re-entered the skin. Tobey's scream echoed loudly through the camp.

"That's all I can do." Hershel said, "I don't know how it'll set without X-Rays. I need some anti-biotics of some kind, maybe something to suture the wound. It might get infected."

"Infected?" Andrew said slowly.

"Yes." Hershel said, "I need something to stop that happening. Do you have anything?"

Charlotte tensed when she heard a gun cock, "What are you doing?" she asked Andrew, who had the gun pointed towards Tobey's forehead.

"You heard the doc. Infected."

Charlottes eyes widened, "No." she said, "He means loose a limb infected not come back from the dead infected."

"I didn't mean it like that." Hershel said at the same time.

"You said infected doc." Andrew said, voice louder than it needed to be.

Murmurs rode up through the crowd and Charlotte thought she heard a few more weapons being readied.

"Stop it Andrew." she said loudly, "Stop it."

"Nah man!" Tobey said, shaking his head, pain all but forgotten, "I'm fine. I'm not even feverish. I'm fine."

"Andrew. You don't have to do this." Betty's voice sounded from some ways away. Charlotte hoped that Jamie and Emma were unable to see what was happening.

"Andrew-" Hershel started only to be cut off by the loud sound of a bullet.

Charlotte shrieked in shock and ripped her hands away from the now dead mans bloodied leg. Hershel fell back onto his butt in shock and the sudden cacophony of voices was deafening. Charlotte shuddered out a breath and she too dropped onto the ground. "Are you crazy? You'll attract them all!" Someone shouted and she thought she heard Andrew rebuke him with a few curses.

She thought that Rick's camp might've been shouting too, she only recognised a few voices and a glance towards them showed Rick shouting, his wife comforting Carl. The blonde woman screaming angrily at one of their guards. Daryl getting into another guards face. She could hear snippets, something about walkers and bullets and noise.

She felt sick.

Another bullet cut through the noise like a knife and Charlotte immediately felt sick, her ears ringing from the previous shot that was so close and feared an imminent gun fight that would kill them all before the dead even arrived anywhere near the scene.

"Everyone shut up!" Her father cried instead, smoking gun in the air, "I don't give a damn what your opinions are." His eyes slid over both his own camp and Rick's.

"You know how it works here. You come back with an injury like that," he kicked at Tobey's bloodied leg, the booted foot tapped against Charlottes knee and she felt her stomach lurch again, thankful that she hadn't had any more to eat that morning, "a wound that might get you into one of them. We kill you first."

"He wasn't going to die." Hershel spoke softly, though his words seemed to carry further even than her fathers shouting, "He just needed some antibiotics and bandages."

"Shut up." Lawrence said, "Move the body."

Charlotte let out a shuddered breath as the leg, the only visible part was dragged away from her. They would burn him in a smaller clearing just off to the right, used specifically for that purpose. They didn't bury people here.

"Get the doc back to the camp." Andrew sounded as people began to disperse as if _nothing had even happened_. As if someone hadn't just been murdered in their midst _for no reason_. Hershel moved with them as he was pulled off of the ground, eyes wide in disbelief. Charlotte felt a familiar hand on her shoulder and shrugged it off roughly, standing herself, "Get off me." she growled towards Andrew who still held the gun in his hand and looked exactly as he had before.

"We take no chances here, Charlotte. It was merciful." her father said from where he still stood, Charlotte felt tears pricking behind her eyes and shook her head.

"He wasn't a risk." she said, "It wasn't merciful."

She moved slowly back to her tent and climbed inside, trying to breathe as deeply as she could, feeling her lungs tighten slightly, only mildly asthmatic it wasn't usually a problem, however her skin felt cold and she felt herself panicking slightly and had to concentrate on calmer things. Life before all this, her few years in college before her mothers death at least. Friends and family, a world where people weren't executed for broken bones.

It took a long time before her breathing came back under control again.

…**.**

Note: I hate the word faggot when used in that context so meant no offence, seems like something those bad people would say.

Also, I know nothing about re setting bones or breakages etc so I made it up =]

**Let me know what you thought? x**


	5. There's a dead person in my shed

**A kiss from the wind -The Walking dead. Daryl Dixon/OC**

**Chapter 5- There's a dead person in my shed.**

**Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC**

…**.**

**Thanks so much for the great responses, please pass this on to your fellow WD Fanfic friends.. I'm really proud of this work! Thanks!**

…**.**

**2 months earlier…**

"There's a dead person in my shed." Charlotte heard the moment she answered her phone.

She blinked sleepily, "A what in your what?"

" A dead person in my shed." Her neighbour and childhood friend Christine repeated, with no hint of laughter in her voice.

"A dead person?" she repeated, sitting up in her bed and pushing her hair behind her ears, "As in a body? Why is it in your shed?"

"Yeah." Christine said, "A dead body. In my shed."

"Christ Chrissy, It's not even nine am, have you been drinking?"

"A couple shots. But that was after I found the _dead body in my shed_." Her tone told her that alcohol was really not the main concern here.

"Chris-"

"You gotta get over here Charlotte."

Charlotte gave an exasperated sigh, "Give me time to get showered and -"

"No. Charlotte." her friend interrupted again, "Come in your Pjs if you have to but get here soon."

"Okay. Jeez, you could've just called the police or someone else." She said, climbing out of bed, she held the phone between shoulder and ear as she pulled on some relatively clean jeans. She grabbed a clean shirt from her wardrobe and pulled it over her head, "This better not be some prank Chrissy."

"It's not." she replied, "Not even I could fake this."

"I'm leaving right now."

"Charlotte-" She heard her friend say as she climbed into her fathers pick up truck, he hadn't been home for days and wouldn't notice it was gone. Jamie was probably still soundly asleep at a fellow school friends house so he would say anything either, "I think he might be one of those people- like from the news? The sick ones?"

Charlotte swallowed, she had watched the news like everyone else in America and from what the internet told her, the world.

"You think he's infected?"

The stories on the internet had been sensational and Charlotte could not even make herself believe half of them. The images on the news, caused b the disease grossly graphic.

"Yeah. Or still drunk after a really, really bad night." Christine said over the phone, "I went to grab something and saw him led in there, but he's covered in blood and stuff and I think he's one of them."

"Okay." Charlotte started the truck with a roar and pulled onto the dirt road. "Just don't go near him 'til I get there."

"Hurry up."

"I am hurryin'!" She said, "I'm driving two minutes up the road that's how much I am hurryin'! I can see yours right now."

"Yeah I can hear that contraption your dad calls a truck." Charlotte laughed, as she parked sloppily in the drive. She left the cars in the ignition, it was unlikely someone would take her car, it was a few miles into the main town anyway and it seemed unlikely that someone would walk so far on the small chance that there would be a car readily available.

Charlotte pressed the end call button and moved around the side of the house, she pushed open the gate that Christine never locked and moved round the house, in much better shape than her own family home into the back garden.

Christine had inherited the house not two months ago after her last living parent had passed away to old age, late starters in life they had birthed Christine in their late forties and Charlotte had always felt sorry for Christine. At least Charlotte had, for however little time, had a healthy mother.

The garden was overgrown and browned by the heat, gardening or anything involving nature not Christine's speciality.

"Chrissy?" Charlotte called.

Three big wooden sheds lined, one behind the other, against the right hand side of the garden, all of which had belonged to Christine's father, full of tools and equipment she assumed.

"Second shed." Christine called.

Charlotte moved over towards the grassy area, grimacing as the brown grass scratched uncomfortably against her ankles, somehow gaining access under her jeans.

Her friend stood by the closed shed, wrapped in a bathrobe and slippers, blonde hair pulled into a messy bun atop her head, phone held tightly in her hand. She looked more scared than worried.

"What happened?" Charlotte asked, moving towards the shed and cupping her eyes against the already glaring morning sun. She glanced through the dirty window and groaned, definitely seeing an unmoving form.

"I came down to grab a screwdriver, one of the posts on my bed are loose and if I didn't do it now I'd forget altogether. I just saw him in there when I opened the door." she explained.

"One of the posts on your bed are loose? Too much action Christine." Charlotte laughed realizing just how inappropriate it was to joke in this situation even as she did so.

"You should have seen him Charlotte-"

"Body builder?" She asked distractedly, peering through the window again.

"Substitute teacher. P.E." Christine replied.

"We should see if he's alive." Charlotte said, "Or we should call the police.. Jamie's P.E substitute?"

"Yeah. I'll call the police. He was cute."

Charlotte frowned, "The body?" She shook her head, "Wait. No shut up. Priorities. Tell me about your latest conquest after we've sorted out the whole possibly dead man in your shed problem."

Christine moved to enter the numbers, "Wait. He's moving." Charlotte gasped, moving to the door. She unbolted the lock and pulled the door open. Christine moved closer behind her attempting to glance over Charlottes shoulder, "Ambulance?" she asked.

"Yeah." Charlotte said from the door way, "Yeah call an ambulance."

She stared at the moving man in abject horror, his dark suit was ripped and tattered as if he had been dragged through thorns, his right arm was bent at a strange angle and blood covered almost every inch of his skin both exposed and she guessed under the destroyed fabric. His face was so covered in dirt blood and other residues that she might not have recognised him had he been her own father.

"They're busy, sending someone as soon as they can." Christine said glancing over her shoulder again at the groaning figure, "Oh my God."

…..

**Present day…**

"Get up!" A loud, unwanted voice shouted, followed by hard banging on the fabric of her tent, a hollow noise that aggravated her headache. "Get up!"

Charlotte groaned, a hand coming up to Jamie's cot, "Jamie. Come on." her hand found no child, "Jamie?" she asked.

She shot from her bed and out of the tent, "Jamie!" She cried.

"Shut up!" Andrew said from the side of her tent, "The brat slept with the old witch after you ran off last night."

Charlotte stared at him with disgust, the memory of his cold blooded murder still vivid in her mind.

"Grab your wash things we're headin' to the river. Takin' some of the broads from over there." He indicated the new camp "Your dads reckons they'll feel less intimidated if you 'n' the brats are there."

"I don't want to." Charlotte spat.

"You probably should." Andrew smirked, "You got Tobey's blood all over you."

Charlotte gasped and a hand shot to her face, she could feel the flaking, freshly dried blood on her cheek and neck. She shivered, wishing she hadn't slept in the damn stuff.

"Get your stuff, five minutes."

Charlotte dove back into her tent without any hesitation, scrabbling around for her things. As much as she hated to accompany Andrew anywhere she would, pride be damned when she was covered in blood. She pulled her dirty jeans off over her boots and pulled her baggy swim shorts, most likely males on in their place.

She grabbed Jamie's small bag of things that would soon need replenishing and exited the tent eyes landing on her brother immediately.

"Jamie." She called, throwing the supplies to the boy.

The children joined her, Emma with her pink My little pony wash bag that made Charlotte yearn for the simpler days of children's television, sweets, happiness and innocence. It was the little things that broke your heart in this day and age.

"You guys sleep okay?" She asked, unsure of how much they had seen the night before, she had no doubt they had heard everything though as they headed towards the smaller camp where Andrew stood.

"Emma was sad." Jamie said.

"I liked Tobey." Emma confirmed, "He was nice to me, but I'm glad he wasn't hurt by one of the bad people." Emma meant the dead and Charlotte fought the urge to tell the child that almost everyone in this camp was a bad person. Why take the child's hope too?

"Yeah. That's true." she said, instead.

"I was squashed with Betty and Emma." Jamie said, "But Betty said we had to leave you alone. That you were sad."

"I was sad." Charlotte said, "I felt a little sick too. We're going with some of the ladies from the smaller camp, that okay with you guys?"

"Ugh more girls." Jamie sighed and Charlotte gave a snort of laughter.

"He ain't comin'" Andrews voice interrupted her laughter. She glanced at the man, who stood glaring towards the other camp.

"None of them are goin' with your men alone." Rick replied, hands on his hips, standing his ground despite the sizeable weight and height difference, "He goes."

Charlotte noticed that Daryl stood beside the blonde, the sad lady and the young woman she remembered to be Hershel's daughter, Maggie. "Not after what you did last night."

"Then you come. I ain't takin' that redneck."

In the past Charlotte would have made a comment about hypocrisy considering Andrews upbringing but instead she stayed silent a comforting hand on her brothers small shoulder.

"I'm not leaving my wife or child's side." Rick replied, "Daryl goes."

"Y'know!" Andrew cried, "We're letting' you wash as a courtesy! If I had my way you would've all be dead by now!"

Rick stood his ground, expression unwavering.

"Lawrence thinks your useful. I can't see why the hell he would." Andrew said, "And we're supposed to treat you like members of our own camp."

Surrounded by guns to prevent escape? Yeah, Charlotte thought, they were definitely members of the camp.

"So we're letting' you wash and eat." Andrew continued, "Fine. The redneck comes."

Charlotte thought Andrew looked more likely to kill them all than to treat them well and she doubted Daryl would be much protection in any case, she didn't doubt he could put up a fight but no one was immune to bullets and they had those in excess in this camp.

Rick nodded, turning back to his family.

"Lets go." Andrew growled, Charlotte waited until the women and Daryl had gone ahead before she ushered Jamie and Emma forward.

"Stay close to me." She told the kids eyeing the people walking ahead of her, she didn't know any of them from Eve and trusted them even less, given the chance even the nicest of person with the highest of morals, when kept prisoner, will lash out.

They made it to the river slower than usual, the newcomers getting a feel for the uneven ground. Up ahead Charlotte watched Maggie fall and Daryl help her up, seemingly unconsciously. There was an easy unison and unconscious communication between the group she had observed over the time they had been here. They worked fluidly and stood up for each other, something Charlotte had never known in this camp. She wondered were there any more survivors, anyone else out there that worked this way.

The river clearing came into view and Jamie, like he always did catapulted towards the river, ignoring the stationed guards as they glared his way. The water splashed as he jumped in, the river, more of a large lake really that cut off just left of the clearing and ran through the woods past the camp and further on. The river was regularly checked as far as they could go to make sure that no stray dead people waded up stream and to ensure nothing contaminated it. Though it was unlikely anything could come upstream it was always prudent to make sure.

"Careful Jamie." Charlotte said, fruitlessly, the boy already dunking his head into the stream, a welcome release from the heat.

Emma followed in with her things but no one else made a move to follow, Charlotte stood with the others along the bank.

"Get to it then!" Andrew growled with a harsh nudge to Charlotte's back, "Be a good example." he murmured into her ear.

Charlotte slowly removed her boots and socks and stepped toward the edge. "Do what you usually do." Charlotte sighed and snapped her eyes closed.

"Andrew.." Charlotte said glancing at the assorted strangers, "It's not exactly appropriate."

She received no reply and ground her teeth together hands moving to the hem of her flimsy vest, she hesitated only a second before pulling it over her head, leaving herself in her bra and water shorts. She missed bathing naked, the cleanliness after, but with armed guards with roving eyes and being the only female of age other than the elderly Betty that was not an option here.

She nodded resolutely and climbed down into the water, cold on her skin, the first time she had done this she had been shocked at the sheer drop from ledge to bottom of the water. She looked towards the blonde and nodded almost imperceptibly. Slowly the other women followed suit, clothes falling into a pile on the ground besides their clean change. Neither of the three stripped naked all fully aware of their armed audience.

Andrew leered and moved to a respectable distance though Charlotte knew with certainty he was still watching. Daryl stood stiffly at the side watching the armed guards and Andrew, not sparing a glance for the women. Charlotte smiled, she hadn't believed that Daryl would have been the more respectable of the all present.

The three other men at the perimeter however, had no qualms about watching and were very obvious about it.

"They always stare like this?" The blonde asked Charlotte as she bent so the water covered her shoulders.

Charlotte started at being addressed and nodded. Maggie moved beside her, head sopping, obviously thankful for the cold water in the heat. Charlotte could see Jamie and Emma slashing around, the sad eyed woman near them, possibly smiling.

"It's creepy." the blonde said, "I'm Andrea by the way."

"Charlotte." she replied, "And you're Maggie, Hershel's daughter?"

Maggie nodded and fumbled along the edge for her wash things.

"I'm sorry for what they did last night, you're dad didn't have to be near that." Charlotte whispered.

"They killed that man." Maggie whispered in reply, "Dad said there was nothing wrong apart from his leg."

"There wasn't." Charlotte agreed, pulling her soap from her own bag, "Tobey was a good guy. One of the few we have here."

"He just killed him." Maggie whispered, eyes on Andrews foreboding form.

Charlotte nodded, and began to wash herself thoroughly.

"Why are you here?" Andrea asked, "With these people?"

"My dad-" Charlotte stopped, hearing Jamie laugh. She looked over to the boy who was laughing at Emma and the short haired lady who was making her laugh.

"That's Carol." Maggie said, possibly noticing the tense of Charlotte's shoulder, "She wont hurt them."

"It's not that." Charlotte said sadly, "I haven't seen Jamie laugh in a while. At least not properly laugh."

"It's the same with Carol." Andrea said, "She's lost a lot. I think her loss was harder than most too, Sophia her daughter. They survived so long but-"

"Sophia ran, before I met them, and the whole time they stayed on my families farm they searched for her." Maggie continued, "She was found, a walker. Rick had to kill her."

"That's horrible." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, the kid-"

"Emma."

"Emma-" Andrea continued, "Looks a lot like Sophia, her hairs longer and lighter and her eyes are a different colour but their around the same age and the similarity is there. Carol is smiling, it must be doing her some good."

"Yeah." Maggie said staring into space as if remembering something.

"I guess we all lost a lot. " Andrea sighed.

Charlotte nodded, feeling a connection to these women, they were all prisoners here. She looked towards the children and Carols sad eyes as she appraised the girl and felt overwhelming sadness tugging at her gut. These people didn't deserve this, they were good, innocent people whose lives had been ripped apart and they deserved to be free from here.

"Alright. Out." Andrews voice broke her from her thoughts. Gun waving around as he gestured away from the river, "I'm sure you're all sparkling' clean."

"You wanna watch where you're waving' that thing." Daryl growled as Andrews gun moved again with his gesture.

"It's best to go up over there." Charlotte pointed towards the corner, unfortunately near one of the guard bases where the water was more shallow. "There's a kind of indentation that works like a foothold."

Maggie moved forward first and climbed gracefully over the ledge onto dry ground. Charlotte watched in mild shock, "She grew up on a farm." Andrea said by way of explanation.

"Right." Charlotte nodded as Jamie waded up behind them, "Go ahead Jamie."

The boy climbed up as Maggie moved quickly towards her clothes and towel, glaring at the gawping guards.

Emma followed behind and climbed onto the foothold, Daryl reached forward, grabbed her hand and pulled her out. Charlotte let Carol follow behind and moved to let Andrea out next, Andrea, also using Daryl to lean on pulled herself out of the water.

Used to the relatively high bank of the river Charlotte moved forward, back still hurting from the other night straining against the movement, she pushed her toes into the indentation and grabbed a hold of the edge. She lifted her body weight and groaned as she pulled herself up, a hand appeared in front of her face and she hesitated only slightly before allowing it to hoist her out fully.

She glanced up to see Daryl stood before her and pulled her hand away just as Andrew stalked up behind them, the butt of his gun scraping harshly against the back of Daryl's head.

The change was almost immediate, the mild mannered, dare she say it, gentleman before her turned immediately into a snarling, angry beast. His stubbled face distorted in rage.

"I said watch it!" He cried, jumping towards Andrew, fists raised. Charlotte winced as she heard a loud crack as Daryl's fist collided with the other mans face. She sprang into action the moment she saw one of the armed guards cock their gun towards the commotion.

"Stop it!" She cried, running into the middle noting that Andrea moved right beside her, the blonde stepped into the middle and pushed against Andrews chest. "Daryl. Stop it." Charlotte heard Carol say from where she stood with Maggie and the children.

Charlotte pushed hard against Daryl's chest and shook her head, "They will shoot you!" she hissed.

Daryl growled, eyes still on Andrews form. Charlotte didn't need to look, she could hear Andrea requesting help from one of the armed guards, fearing Lawrence's wrath they would obey.

"Stop it." Charlotte said again, "You got him. You got him really good actually." Daryl's eyes moved to her, an eyebrow raised and she breathed out a laugh, "I dream about hittin' him like that."

She felt the man slowly calm from where she held tightly to his forearm and nodded, slowly letting go, "I'm sorry about him." she said, "I can't even describe how much of an asshole he is."

Daryl grunted and stepped away eyes flicking quickly downwards then moving to something over her shoulder. Charlotte's eyes widened as she realised she still only wore underwear with her shorts. Moving towards her things quickly, Charlotte saw that Andrew too had calmed but the other guard from which Andrea had requested help would be escorting them back to camp. Charlotte was thankful.

She dutifully ignored Andrews glowering as she redressed and packed her things away.

"Shouldn't let him treat ya so bad." She heard Daryl say as she straightened up, pulling her wet hair into a ponytail.

She smiled sadly, "Don't have much of a choice here."

Daryl said nothing more as the guard began to lead them back to camp and Charlotte followed behind Andrea resolutely. Tonight she would talk to her father about setting these people free. It was the least she could do.

…**.**

**What does everyone think? This one is a bit longer!**


	6. No compromise

**A kiss from the wind -The Walking dead. Daryl Dixon/OC**

**Chapter 6- No compromise.**

**Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC**

…**.**

**Thanks so much for the great responses, please pass this on to your fellow WD Fanfic friends.. I'm really proud of this work! Thanks!**

**Just saw the last two episodes… oh Gawd, Dale and the brother and screw you shane and who actually watches carl in the god damn zombie apocalypse and woah rick democracy and sexy and ugh! Just ugh! That is what happens to me after this show. The feelings! =[**

**I DO NOT CONDONE RACISM- THE CHARACTERS HOWEVER- DO!**

…**.**

It's not until the next evening when she is finally able to get her father alone. It's been a long day, another group left to scavenge and hunt, the rest of Rick's camp were taken in smaller groups to clean up. Charlotte continued to help Betty make the food and deliver it to their guests. Despite the constant movement and work Charlotte couldn't distract herself from Carol. She didn't know all the details, how long ago she had lost her daughter nor did she know all the circumstances. Carol seemed to be handling it, she seemed to hold her head high and smile through the pain as much as was possible in their current predicament. Charlotte noticed how Carols eyes would follow Emma though, how she would watch the child with a fond quirk of her lips as if seeing her own girl. It made Charlottes heart ache for the woman and the massive blow she had sustained, to survive this thing for so long with your child and to then have to watch her die so pointlessly, her eyes pricked with tears as she imagined how she would feel if it had happened to Jamie. She admired the woman's strength. Her eyes found her now, talking to the large dark skinned man, Charlotte thought he had a nick name of some sort but couldn't be sure. It was Carols loss more than anything that coerced her into talking to her father now, a woman who had lost so much, anyone really, deserved some semblance of freedom in this new world.

"Dad?" She asked, as she moved to where he sat, by his own tent, separated from most of the camp, almost as if revered, on a pedestal.

"Yeah?" He asked, smiling disarmingly. Sometimes he did that, even before the dead rose, sometimes he would smile or laugh or cook something for dinner, or cuddle Jamie and it would throw Charlotte for a loop. So used to the violent, possessive man she found herself constantly on edge on these days, and now she felt her skin prickle with anticipation.

"Sit." Her father said, indicating the camping seat beside him, usually occupied by Andrew or one of his other right hand men.

"What is it?" Lawrence asked.

Charlotte swallowed, breathed deeply, "I think we should let them go."

"Who?"

"You know who I mean dad. Rick and his group." Charlotte whispered.

"Why would I do that?" Lawrence asked with a slight frown, though his tone held a hint of a smile under a whole lot of mocking.

Charlotte stared at him, " They don't deserve to be… held captive." her father continued to stare into the distance, if she didn't know any better she would have thought him drunk, "They should be able to make their own choice."

"And leave?"

"If that's what they want. Yes." she said.

Lawrence barely moved, but his eyes found her own, "You would have me free them and lose the doctor the only medical mind we have? What if someone is injured like Tobey?"

_You'd kill them anyway_, Charlotte wanted to scream, instead she said, "He's a vet dad, a farmer. An old man."

"He's useful." Lawrence said.

"Andrew told me you said that, I don't understand how the others are useful though." She fought to keep a whine from her voice, there was nothing her dad hated more than whining.

"The men. Rick, the redneck, the nigger, the chink. They all survived this long. Weapon training I would bet." Her father said. When nothing else followed Charlotte snorted and said, "So what's your plan? They help around here? How can they do that if they're kept like prisoners? They wont want to help anyone if its not their choice dad."

"They wont have a choice." A menacing tone had entered her fathers voice.

"What do you mean?" She whispered, barely audible.

"We'll break them, that's why we're waiting. Let them let their guard down and then we strike." Charlottes eyes found the camp, milling about, talking outside of their tents, _they're already letting their guard down_, Charlotte thought warily, _they know they wont be shot and they haven't seen the dead since they arrived, they're scared but they're not fighting to escape like they should be._

"What about - what about the others?" she asked eyes landing on Carol, on Maggie and Carl, _a child_.

"It's been so long since the men had any women around." her father growled, Charlotte felt her breath stutter as she rose from her seat, head shaking. She remembered something, a while ago, that Andrew had said, he and a group, including Randall and Graham had been bragging about _teenagers_. Charlotte felt bile rise in her throat. "Everyone is so tense and I think there needs to be a little fun around here. Charlotte stared at her father in shock and in disgust, she had never known her father to be so repulsive, so cold, so evil as he sounded in this moment. She took a step backwards head still shaking. "You can't." she whispered.

"And the blonde looks particularly ravishing." Andrea. Oh God, Andrea. Charlotte moved away again, she recognised this mood, the monotone voice, the lack of emotion, she regretted speaking but her voice broke through even as she willed it not to.

"You can't." she said, again, louder this time. "Dad. It's wrong! It's- no!"

She thought of Maggie's sister, the teenage blonde, so quiet, probably the same age as those other girls form Andrews story. The thought made her speak again.

"Dad!" She cried, "I wont let you."

Her fathers eyes met hers again, "How will you stop me?"

Her breath hitched under his gaze, she felt completely at a loss "I-"

She had no time to finish her sentence because her father moved, launching from his chair and then there was a stinging sensation across her cheek and her body found the hard floor. She groaned painfully.

"You'll shut the hell up!" Her father growled, looming over her, where she sat with a hand against her cheek, her face throbbed angrily. "Get the hell out of my sight." Her father stalked to his tent and left her literally lying in the dirt.

"Get up!" Betty's voice hissed from behind as small hands grasped at her arms, "You know not to antagonise him."

"Betty!" Charlotte gasped, "He said-"

"I don't care if he's plannin' on blowin' up the Earth! You know not to confront him when he's in one of his moods."

"Andrea and the women. Those girls he-" Charlotte babbled as she followed behind Betty to a safer distance, "We have to tell them, they need to get away."

"Stop panicking." Betty growled, which sounded rather odd coming from her mouth, "I heard every word. You really think it's wise to be runnin' in there telling them they're in danger? They'll panic and it'll cause chaos, they start revoltin' they'll be shot down before they have a chance to plead their own case."

"Betty-"

"No. We keep an eye and we keep quiet. If it looks like something is gonna happen that's when we do something, 'til then, what they don't know can't hurt them." Betty said. The elder lady pressed gentle fingers across her aching cheek bone, "This'll bruise something rotten."

"I've had worse." Charlotte replied bitterly.

"I bet you have Kiddo," Betty replied, "I bet you have."

Charlotte trailed her eyes towards the refugee camp, the unaware inhabitants littered morosely around their area. She hoped, that if the time came, they could find a way to escape.

"I hate it when your right." Charlotte grumbled to Betty as she steadied herself with a step forward.

"You must always hate me then." She thought the elder lady replied under her breath eyes finding camp again. She met a pair of blue eyes and found herself routed to the spot. Lines marred the skin above the eyes as Daryl frowned and Charlotte turned away unable and unwilling to accept the angry understanding she could see in those eyes. It had been a long time since someone had understood.

…**.**

**Bit of a crap, abrupt end but couldn't work out how else to end it! This chapter just wouldn't bloody write!**

**What does everyone think? This one is a bit longer!**


	7. Timeline

**A kiss from the wind -The Walking dead. Daryl Dixon/OC**

**.**

**Chapter 7- Timeline**

**Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC**

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

**Warning for one swear word…**

**Sorry for taking so long… uni, new job and redecorating room! Phew! Enjoy!**

**Thanks so much for the great responses, please pass this on to your fellow WD Fanfic friends.. I'm really proud of this work! Thanks!**

**This chapter kind of jumps around the timeline a bit, skips around but is hopefully is still legible =]**

**Dedicated to Traci- a.k.a SIGK1 for emailing me and kicking my ass into gear! Thanks hun! Enjoy!**

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"Your father did that." a familiar voice said the next morning as Charlotte piled the breakfast plates into her arms.

She knew immediately that he meant the purpling bruise on her jaw, she nodded.

"He do that often?" Daryl asked.

"I provoked him." Charlotte whispered.

"What were you arguing about?" he asked from where he stood leaning against what seemed to had rapidly become his favourite tree. Charlotte hesitated, glanced around the small camp that she found herself in, young Emma sat talking softly to Caroline. Jamie seemed to be in an intense arm wrestling match with Carl, cheered on by his parents. Everything seemed calm, normal if you ignored the armed guards and hoards of dead roaming the Earth, Charlotte couldn't bring herself to disrupt the tentative harmony that had seemed to come with the sun this morning and she could not risk divulging what she knew to Daryl of all people, she knew even after so little time that he was probably wasn't exactly emotionally stable and would act first without planning or asking questions.

"Nothing." she answered instead, "Just something ridiculous. It's not important."

"Seemed important enough for him to knock you about." Daryl pushed.

Charlotte shrugged, "Not much I can do about it. Are you finished?" She indicated the breakfast cutlery by his tent.

He raised an eyebrow at the obviously empty plate before nodding.

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"Do you like Carol, Emma?" Charlotte asked, as the girl emerged from the river bank, dripping, clean as it was possible to get in the water.

"Yeah, she's really nice." The girl replied, "She knows lots of stories about princesses and knights and magic."

"That's nice Emma." Charlotte grinned, ruffling the girls hair, "I'm glad."

"Do you like them? I like all of them. They're really nice."

"I guess so. I don't really get to see them a lot do I?" Charlotte laughed.

"You should." Emma said, "I think they'd like you!"

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"They're getting restless." Lawrence growled to Andrew that night, "They can leave their camp two by two during the day with a guard. See to it."

"Is that safe?"

"They make a move, they're dead, make sure they know that. We can have them trying to escape." Lawrence explained.

"They wouldn't get far, we have their weapons."

"I don't need them even attempting it."

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"Good morning." voices chorused as Charlotte stepped into the smaller camp the next morning.

"Emma tells me I must spend more time in here." Charlotte said conspiratorially over Emma's head with a smile towards Carol.

"Oh you must!" Carol smiled beatifically, "Take a seat."

"Thanks."

"Do you help with the cooking?" Carol asked, " I mean the food tastes great considering."

"No." Charlotte laughed, "I barely knew how to use a microwave before. Jamie and I basically lived on takeaway or cold food after my mum."

"She died before all of this?"

"Yeah, five years ago. Jamie and I are seventeen years apart, he doesn't remember her much and I wasn't always the best mother figure for him. Cooking for a start." Charlotte said wistfully.

"He's a great kid." Carol replied, eyeing Charlotte's father as he strode purposefully across the camp, "From what I see, you did the best you could."

Charlotte smiled.

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

Charlotte sat opposite Jamie on the ground outside of their tent. The brightly coloured cards fanned out in her hands, familiar stars of the lord of the rings staring back at her from the top trump cards she had found lodged in the bottom of the bag that had been acquired for Jamie. All of these people were probably dead now.

"Age." Jamie said hopefully.

"Uh…" Charlotte searched the golden, Earthy looking card at the top of her pile, the picture of a dirty strange looking man before her, Smeagol, "thirty four"

The wry smile on Jamie's face she guessed said this was not a very good answer.

"Thirteen thousand nine hundred and five ." Jamie cried triumphantly, waving the dragon like creature in front of her face. What in the world was a Balrog?

"Why do I get the feeling that your cheating?" Charlotte asked with narrowed eyes.

"Because your bad at this?"

"I don't like your tone, Jamie." Charlotte joked.

They continued with the game for a little longer, Charlotte winning only a few rounds. She didn't quite understand the rules of the game, an eight year old boy wasn't the best teacher and she was fairly certain he had made up some of the rules as no instruction sheet had been with the well used cards.

"Resistance to ring." Charlotte said.

"Two."

"Ooh!" Charlotte cheered, "Merry's not so good now is he? Three from good old Sam."

"Awh man!" Jamie sighed, handing over his card.

"Whatcha doing?" A female voice asked.

Charlotte squinted up into the sun to see Lori and Carl, flanked by armed men.

"Hi." Charlotte said, "We're just playing cards. Lord of the rings special."

"Carl loves those films," Lori said, "I always thought he was too young to watch them though."

"That true Carl?" Charlotte asked the boy. He nodded, "Well then, why don't you play with Jamie for a while?" She indicated her quickly dwindling pile, "I don't seem to be doing so well."

Carl shook his head in response.

"Go on Carl." Lori insisted, nudging him a little, "Go ahead."

"I don't want to!" the boy cried, folding his arms across his chest. Charlotte knew that had the guards not been flanking them the boy would have fled. "I want to go back to our camp."

"Lets go then." A guard growled.

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

Charlotte didn't know how long Rick and Daryl and the others had been here. The days passed slowly but had barely anything to distinguish them apart. They woke just after sunrise, Charlotte and Jamie helped Betty prepare breakfast, they took food to the prisoners, Charlotte spent the day with Jamie, distrcting him and keeping him busy, Emm would spend her time with Carol. Almost every day Charlotte would be made to accompany some of Ricks group to bathe, Andrew and her father believing that she was the least intimidating therefore could keep them calm. She helped Betty give out dinner and delivered it to the group before eating her own. It was routine. It was almost comfortable. Her fathers words still rang through her head though, _Let them let their guard down and then we strike, _making her stomach roil in disgust, _It's been so long since the men had any women around._

The thing was, even with the armed escorts and hostile environment the group were letting their guard down. They were regularly fed without having to work for it, always able to get clean even under the watchful gazes of the men. They were settling, resigned to the situation which made her fathers threats all the more real. Charlotte had no doubt that her father would follow through with his idea, no doubt of the pain they would all suffer. They were all good people, that was the thing, even Daryl with his rough exterior, Carl a prepubescent boy with an attitude in a modern dystopia, Andrea brash and desperate to prove herself. Charlotte trusted Betty's watchful eye and knew not to run around shouting warnings, that Betty would know and would tell her when it was time to do something, at her age she was very watchful and intuitive. A strong lady. Still, Charlotte feared for them.

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"Three weeks and two days." Betty told her when she asked the next evening, "They've been here three weeks and two days."

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"I'm T-Dog" the large dark skinned man that Charlotte hadn't originally noticed in the chaos of the groups arrival and detainment, introduced himself, "We haven't properly met."

Charlotte reached up from the ground to shake his large hand, bigger than two of hers put together, and smiled, "Hi."

Beth stood behind him, as far as humanly possible away from their escorts, almost plastered to T-Dogs back.

It seemed that when allowed to roam they always made their way to Charlottes tent, when not preparing for the next meal Betty spent her time their too, with the children. Charlotte knew they were the only ones in the camp who would not only be welcoming but would also not hurt or bully anyone in any way.

"I just wanted to say thanks." T-Dog said, flopping down beside her, Beth following in his wake, "For what you're doing for us. The food and the hanging around. Your presence makes Carl and Beth here especially, feel calmer."

Charlotte smiled, "There's not much I can do to help anything."

"The foods enough for now." T-Dog laughed. Charlotte noticed that he smiled easily, even in this situation with escorts, guns pointed precariously away ready to be fired at any possible moment. Even as a prisoner this man smiled.

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"Rabbit today." Charlotte said, as she handed the plate to Daryl where he sat, still segregated outside his tent, "Extra chewy."

She received a grunt in reply and ignored the mans affronted glare as she sat beside him, "You've not really unpacked anything." She stated, glancing into his open tent, where only a few bags sat, full and an unrolled sleeping bag lay across the lumpy ground.

"I don't plan on staying here that long." he drawled, shovelling more food into his mouth. Charlotte nodded, perfect.

"Good." she whispered gravely, catching his eye, "Don't get comfortable. Don't let your guard down."

Daryl lowered his fork, glanced around for an audience and frowned, "What?"

"It's not safe here. Don't ever think you're safe."

"What do you mean?"

Charlotte swallowed, breathed, "Just don't let your guard down."

She walked away.

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"Move away from me." Charlotte growled towards David's face as he leered in her direction, once again by the river. Carol and Andrea who were on their time away from their camp, stood with Jamie and Emma to the side.

"Don't think I'll do that." David sneered, his large hand grabbing roughly at her ass.

"Get off of me. You know the rules." She hissed, seemingly for the millionth time, as she pulled roughly away from his grasp.

"I was just gonna walk you back to camp darlin'" came the reply with a lurid smile.

Charlotte growled, "Stay the fuck away from me. Lets go Jamie."

She was yanked back roughly, into a familiar embrace that made her shudder, David had always been in her personal space. "David…"

"Just you wait til your father is away." he spoke, "All bets are off when he aint here to protect ya."

Charlotte shuddered as he released her. "Come on Jamie." she repeated.

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

That evening Charlotte greeted a wandering Daryl and Hershel with a wave as she made her way towards her fathers segregated area. She had seen him moving around with purpose much like a number of other men who were preparing for a raid the next morning.

"Are you going with them?" she asked as she stepped into his tent, "The raid?"

"Yes."

"Andrew's not going?" she asked.

"Not this time, he'll be in charge here, keep an eye on everyone." Lawrence replied.

"Why are you going? You know you need to be here." Charlotte said, desperately, thinking of the men, of the control her father held over them.

"Andrew can take care of it. He's just as good." Lawrence spoke as he shoved a clean shirt into his travel bag, "I'm going stir crazy here right now."

"I'm not saying its Disneyland here dad but you cant go." she said as she watched him load rounds into his rusty gun and put more inside his bag. She received no reply to her words.

Charlotte was not close to her father, she was not worried for him, he was a violent horrid man at the best of times. No, she was worried for herself, for Jamie, for the other camp. Without her fathers control these men were notoriously bad. Had this been the world before the dead started walking they would have been a fearsome, respected gang.

Her father pushed past her and walked quickly into the camp.

"Dad!" Charlotte cried, "What about Jamie?" Lawrence had always loved Jamie, had never harmed him, though Charlotte suspected that might have been because she had returned home after her mother died and Jamie had never been alone with him. "What will he do if you don't come back?"

"Shut up Charlotte!" he growled as the camp began to crowd around, as was the norm when her father took up his position in the middle of camp. Daryl and Hershel found themselves swept along with the others.

"What's happenin'?" Daryl asked lowly in Charlotte's ear. She shook her head silently eyes locked onto her father.

"Tomorrow, Darren, Cody, Liam and myself are heading out on a raid, the town we sent Randall and the others to." Charlotte feels Daryl tense beside her where his arm brushes hers. Her attention is momentarily drawn to him and she frowns her question to him. He shakes his head in the same way she did moments before.

"It should be obvious that you do what Andrew says while I'm gone. The rules still stand." Lawrence dictates before returning to his sleeping area to bed down.

The crowd began to disperse to their own tasks and to pass the news around to the others. It made sense, Charlotte thought, to go back to the town Randall and the others had gone, the place still held plenty of supplies and there was not a copious amount of the dead as first believed. Randall, Dave and Tony had simply disappeared, believed dead. It wasn't that far either, she thought, maybe a day total, a night too.

Charlotte stepped backwards, closer to Daryl's form as David moved in front of her. Daryls hand wrapped around her forearm, protectively she thought as he stood to attention.

"Remember what I said." David leered, "All bets. Off."

Charlotte swallowed, turned and marched away.

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

**Don't own LOTR or Top trumps blah blah blah and as far as I know the card info mentioned is correct =] I researched! Don't own the walking dead either for that matter =]**

**Bit of a crap, abrupt end but couldn't work out how else to end it! This chapter just wouldn't bloody write!**

**What does everyone think? This one is a bit longer!**


	8. While fathers away

**A kiss from the wind -The Walking dead. Daryl Dixon/OC**

**.**

**Chapter 8- While fathers away**

**Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC**

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

**Thanks so much for the great responses, please pass this on to your fellow WD Fanfic friends.. I'm really proud of this work! Thanks!**

**Dear SIGK1 … never stop mailing me, it gets by huge buttocks into gear, no excuses really for the time.. Well a few, work, helping my sister with her GCSE coursework, my degree, Christmas and new year (I have so much family its ridiculous! 32 cousins altogether.. Yeah.) Other fics etc… but I'm here now! =]]**

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"What did he mean?" Daryl asked her that morning, where she stood in their camp watching as her father and his chosen group departed for the raid.

"Who?" she asked, eyes on her father who spared no look back as he walked away from the camp, and his family.

"Him." he indicated David, who stood off to the side, gun in hand, smirk on his face, "When he said all bets were off."

"He's an ass." Charlotte replied, "He likes to intimidate us, my dad doesn't let him. He'll just throw his weight about a bit. Nothing we cant handle."

"He seems to more than intimidate you." Charlotte looked to the man next to her and shook her head, "I'm okay."

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

"How far do we think the town is?" Lori questioned, "Do you guys remember?" she directed towards her husband, Glenn and Hershel.

"We were about an hour the other side of the farm when they found us." Rick replied over his food, "and it took probably double the time to get here."

"Maybe a day? Two?" Glenn asked, his arm wrapped around Maggie's shoulders. They sat huddled around the fire, voices lowered so that their guards would not hear, "Not long enough." Daryl growled, "Not to get out of here. Not with all we've got to do."

"We've still got to get our weapons back, the keys, everything in that trunk." Carol spoke.

"How?" Carl asked.

"We cant get anywhere near the trunk." Glenn said.

"We could rush it?" T-dog suggested, "All of us at once?"

"Not with the amount of guns they have." Daryl stated, "They'd get most of us, maybe all of us."

"Aren't we okay here?" Beth asked, "Aren't we safe for now?"

"No." Daryl stated.

"Something isn't right here Beth," Rick said more gently, "These aren't good people."

"The girl, she told us not to get comfortable, not to let our guard down. If everything was okay here then she wouldn't have said that." Daryl explained.

"The people here are scared," Andrea spoke up, "The women and children anyway."

"What do you mean?" Lori asked, she hadn't so much as left Rick's side since their incarceration.

"The men are-"

"Perverts." Maggie spat, "They leer and touch and it's disgusting."

"Did they touch you?" Glenn cried, outraged, voice louder.

"Hush!" Hershel hissed even as Maggie replied, "No." to his question, Glenn calmed and relaxed onto the floor by the fires warmth.

"We'll work something out." Rick said, "Keep an eye out for weaknesses in the defence, in the guards. Anything you can find. We're not stayin' here."

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

Charlotte avoided David as much as possible the first day, she stayed with Betty and the kids and in her tent as much as she could get away with. She went to the river to wash when she saw David return from his guard duty there, she took food to the opposite ends of camp where she knew he was not. She mainly stayed close to the smaller camp. Jamie had taken to spending more time there throughout the day, considered harmless by the guards and engaging in a budding friendship with Carl, that is when the boy was in a good mood, his moods changed rapidly and unexpectedly, Charlotte couldn't even begin to guess the things he had seen. Carol had told her the story, how they had been safe, happy even on Hershel's farm until they had been over run. She had told her about Shane, Ricks best friend and his down fall. Carol hadn't however mentioned her daughter, Sophia, and Charlotte hadn't asked. She knew loss, how hard it was to talk about, even five years after losing her mother she found it difficult to talk about.

She could feel David's eyes on her though, if she were ever in the same area as him she could feel his eyes following her. She fought hard not to shudder when she felt his stare.

She thought maybe Betty had some idea as to what was happening, a few times she had called Charlotte to her when David had come within close proximity and asked her to perform a chore that didn't need doing or that Charlotte had never been asked to do before.

Charlotte thought Betty knew how grateful she was.

"When do you think they'll be back?" Charlotte asked Betty from where she sat in front of her tent, warily watching the camp. "The town is only a day away right? They should be back tomorrow night?"

"It depends." Betty replied, "You know as well as I do that nothing can be set in motion these days. Nothing is for sure. They could be back tomorrow they could be a week."

Betty's eyes searched the camp too, "Perhaps you want to go and talked to the officer and his friends?" Charlotte nodded, didn't look behind her and made her way to the other camp.

"Hey Charlotte!" she was welcomed warmly as she stepped into the camp, by Maggie and Glenn.

"Hey." she replied, smiling an instant warm feeling of safety overwhelming her, "Is my menace of a brother here?"

"He's in the tent with Lori and Carl." Maggie told her. Charlotte laughed and looked around her, noticing Beth and Hershel and T-dog and Rick all eyeing her to different degrees. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Everything's fine." Rick replied, with a smile.

"Right." Charlotte smiled awkwardly, "Is Daryl around?" She hadn't seen him around camp so he more than likely was.

"River with Carol, Beth and Andrea." Maggie said.

Charlotte nodded, Daryl was often on guard duty for the females of his group, no one trusted anyone alone with the women, Charlotte didn't trust them alone with the women. Daryl, along with Rick was one that her fathers men tended not to mess with. He had this kind of animalistic anger to him that nobody but Andrew had really tried to take on. Andrew constantly antagonised Daryl, as was Andrews way, for all she could say on Andrew though, for all his bad points he had managed to keep her fathers men mostly in line and nothing terrible had befallen her or Rick's group.

"I'm going to go and check on everyone, is Jamie okay here still?" She asked.

She thanked them when they said yes and set off to find Daryl, her suspicions mounting when the moment she was out of ear shot the Greene's initiated Rick once again in muted, secret conversation.

She moved quickly towards the river and found Daryl sat on the river bed, Carol, Beth and Andrea in the water along the way with Emma.

"You told them?" Charlotte said bypassing a greeting as she looked down at him. She met blue eyes and frowned when his face remained blank. "Daryl.."

"Take a seat Dimples."

"Dimples?" Charlotte scoffed as sat beside him.

"Yes, I did tell them." He replied to her previous question. "Cant be the only one not getting' comfortable can I?"

"I suppose not. What are you thinking of doing?"

"Don't know yet." he frowned, "But we'll think of something."

"I don't doubt that." She smiled. Waving at Emma who caught her attention.

She heard a haggard sigh beside her, "What?" She asked, taking in the frustration on the older mans face. "What?" she asked again as he shook his head, "Okay…" she sighed.

"I'm goin' crazy here." He replied, "I need something to do."

"You're bored?" she barked a surprised laugh, "People are literally rising from the dead and you're bored?!"

The man rolled his eyes and continued to star into the tree line ahead.

"You could…" she looked around for inspiration, "talk to people?"

"don't like people"

"Dance?"

"No."

"Jog around camp?"

"Not enough room."

"Swim?"

"No."

"Read? I have books?"

"Can't."

"What?" She asked jolted from her thoughts, "You can't read?"

Daryl's jaw clenched and the line of his body beside her tensed, "No" he growled, "Didn't exactly get to learn."

"Did you go to school?" Charlotte asked, probably against her better judgement, back before everything had happened she'd always been too nosey for her own good, it came with the territory of training to be a lawyer.

She received no answer which she perceived to be confirmation that he hadn't. She found herself wondering about this man and his life, when they'd first met he had been like an angry captured animal, snarling and angry at anyone who caught his eye she had just assumed that he was a dirty redneck, someone mean and rude, racist and homophobic and all of the other stereotypes that you could imagine. She'd soon learned though that there was something sensitive there, something emotional and strong. He was protective of his friends and companions and caring. Charlotte had never been so wrong about someone. She hadn't realised though, even now, how deep he was.

"Dar-"

"You don't know where I lived kid, my dad and brother always in and outta jail and no way of makin' honest money. Mum dead when I was a kid, I kept the shit hole we lived in from falling to the ground, di'nt have no time for school. Why would a piece of shit redneck like me go to school anyway? People like me don't get the job or the lives like you do. Ain't never been any good at that brainy shit."

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

_Ain't never been any good at that brainy shit._

The words stuck with Charlotte that day as she helped Betty dish up the food, they were running precariously low so there wasn't much, another reason she hoped that her father and his group returned soon.

They gave out the food like usual, Charlotte ignoring Davids leer as she passed his tent. The small book in her back pocket seemed to burn through the denim fabric of her jeans. She wondered if what she was about to do was a good idea, Daryl had stalked to the other side of the river once he had finished speaking, his whole body radiating hostility and _"stay the heck away" _and he hadn't met her eyes since, had actively avoided her actually. She figured he couldn't run now though, not now it was past the infused curfew his group had been given to be back under guard in their own camp.

She saved his meal until last and hesitantly made her way to his tent where he sat outside, "Here," she said, holding the plate towards him, he made no move to take it. She placed it before him and pulled the book from her pocket, "Harry Potter." she said, "Jamie has them all, they're his favourite. They're for kids but they're good. I read them to him." She received no response so carried on, quietly so the rest of his camp wouldn't hear. "I never got to read anything like it before I read them to him. I was going to become a lawyer, I was heading that way, all I ever read was law books they were so boring. But when my mum got sick I went home to look after her and someone needed to read to Jamie. I hadn't ever enjoyed a book so much and I was almost as excited as Jamie every time a new one came out. These books, they made us happy. I had to stay after mum died to protect Jamie, from our dad. He could escape in that world, live another life."

She held the book out to him but he didn't reach for that either. She nodded, "Maybe its not your thing, its probably not but I could help you. Maybe, if you wanted to escape or learn or whatever." She placed the book beside his food and smiled as his eyes met hers. "Just let me know."

**ლ****(́****౪****◟◉‵****ლ****)**

**Small explanation: Maybe, Daryl has read something in the show. I cant remember and I don't care this is my mind baby!**

**I just have this plot thing where I think, based on what we know about Daryls past and family that he wouldn't have gone to school or anything and could be illiterate. Not stupid but never bothered with education. Or unable to be educated due to his past… Abuse and neglect etc.**

**So yeah. Hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Calm

**A kiss from the wind -The Walking dead. Daryl Dixon/OC**

**.**

**Chapter 9- Calm**

**Summary: The gnarled hand scrabbled uselessly against the ground, rotting body trapped under the mangled car wreck, reaching, moaning and snarling. Charlotte grimaced, moving further out of reach and crouched to the ground. "Come on kid." Daryl's voice sounded behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "Leave it. We got ground to cover." Daryl/OC**

**ლ****(́****౪****ლ****)**

**POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNINGS... NOT SURE. JUST BE WARNED. Proceed with caution etc etc .**

**Oh you guys! I'm blushing! Thanks for your awesome support! Especially you SIGK1!**

**Sorry, that I've taken so long to update, my laptop broke and my new one is Windows 8 and who the hell likes or even knows how to use that shite anyways?! Grrrr...**

**ლ****(́****౪****ლ****)**

"Sometimes you forget." Charlotte spoke as she stood beside Andrea staring out at the woods, "What's really out there. Here, there's guards and guns and no one here is really a good person but you're protected you know."

"Yeah." Andrea agreed, "It doesn't feel safe but it feels protected."

"The guards are pretty good, focused." Charlotte explained, she met Andrea's eyes, "There's not really any weak points. In or out."

Andrea nodded, understanding in her blue eyes. "Back at the farm, we guarded ourselves, took shifts keeping watch and fended for ourselves. But we were free you know. I preferred that."

"So would've I." Charlotte smiled. "Anyway, I have to make sure that Jamie isn't up to no good. Just thought I'd let you know. About how safe this place is."

"I appreciate it." Andrea said, turning to return to her camp.

Charlotte had heard them speaking later that night, after leaving her book with Daryl. Rick, Andrea and Glenn, talking about weaknesses in the camps defence. Charlotte knew they were planning an escape, she had figured it would be easier to point out to them now what she had learned over her time here, escape was practically impossible.

**ლ****(́****౪****ლ****)**

"Their defence is strong." Andrea relayed to the others as she joined the group discussion, "The guards are focused, the watch never empty. There wont be any way out without a distraction."

"How do you know that?" T-Dog questioned.

"Charlotte told me."

"She knows?" Rick asked.

Daryl nodded, "Course she does. She ain't stupid."

"Maybe she could help?" Maggie asked, "She seems like a good person, she hasn't tried to hurt any of us, the opposite actually."

"You think she would?" Hershel asked.

"She told me about the defence of this place. She made it sound like a conversation in case anyone was laughing, but I knew what she was really saying."

"And," Lori said, " she warned Daryl not to get comfortable here, that its not safe. I think she's a safe bet."

Rick took a moment to consider, frowning, he met Daryl's eyes and shook his head, "I'm sorry Daryl, but we can't risk it. We can't risk more people getting hurt. If she comes then her brother does too, then the woman and the other child. We cannot risk more people."

"You crazy?" Daryl asked, "She can help us and we cant leave those kids here."

"I need you with me on this Daryl. I need you to understand."

Daryl shook his head, "Its wrong man."

"Daryl-"

"I'm with ya Rick. Y'know that."

**ლ****(́****౪****ლ****)**

Charlotte smiled as she passed Lori and Rick who were returning under guard from the river and they nodded in return, hoisting the large pot Betty had given her in her arms.

"You guys good?" she asked them, wondering how the baby was doing, of course she knew Lori was pregnant, she held herself in exactly the same way her mother had when pregnant with Jamie and Rick was far too protective of his wife for there to be nothing else.

"Yeah." Lori said quietly, knowingly, "No problems."

"We're fine." Rick spoke. Cool." Charlotte smiled, "I'm just heading to the other side of the river, Betty needs

"some more water for the food. Something needs boiling!"

"Be careful." Lori called after her.

"There's guards around there. I'll be fine." Charlotte replied, "Plus I've got my axe." She tapped her trusty weapon against her hip as she continued along the way.

The other end of the river was located off another path and less densely covered or guarded than the rest of the camp, though it was still rare for anyone to slip in or out, bar one time a dead person had slipped through when a guard had been distracted. He'd been dispatched quickly though.

Charlotte meandered through the trees towards the opening, axe swinging against her leg. The river loomed ahead, upstream from where people washed, meaning the dirt and grime from their bodies didn't end up in anything used for their food.

She bent down towards the river on her knees and lowered the empty pot into the water, rinsing it first, though it was clean before refilling it and placing it onto the side.

A loud crunch from the trees to her right startled her to her feet. Her hand immediately moved to the handle of her axe and she stilled, "Hello?" she called, not wanting to draw her weapon if she were just hearing a guard change, she wasn't sure of the time so couldn't be sure if that were the case.

"Is someone there?"

She received no reply and wondered if it hadn't been a stray animal or perhaps just a natural shifting in the foliage around her, as she began to relax however, another crack sounded, closer. She stiffened and released her axe from the binding on her belt, grasping it in the way her father had shown her, long ago when weapon training had become necessary. She swallowed and scanned the trees from the general direction that she had heard the noise. She waited nervously for something to happen, for someone to step through into the clearing, alive or dead. Attempting to steady her breathing she waited, knowing that she could not just leave... if a dead person had slipped through again, if one had breached camp it would need to be taken care of, if she ran or took the time to notify someone else it might slip away, somewhere in the camp. She could not risk that.

She wrung her hands around the handle of her axe, feeling them start to sweat, "Hello?" she asked again, unable to see anything ahead of her, nor hear anymore movement, Betty's pot forgotten she moved towards the general vicinity she had been watching, quiet so as not to attract any attention, stealthily.

Nothing moved ahead and she frowned, unsure of what to do now, did she risk it? Did she leave and find someone else or stay where she was? Did she...

A hand wrapped roughly around her mouth as another arm circled her waist, she shrieked, but barely anything came out around the tightening hand.

"Ssssshh." her captor whispered into her ear even as his hand moved from her waist and ripped her axe from her hand. She recognised the voice and stiffened in fear.

She felt David grin against her ear, "Hey beautiful." he leered, "You come here often?"

She heard her axe thud as he threw it across the clearing out of reach, she struggled against his hold and scrabbled at his grip with her own hands. "Now, now." he growled as he stepped forwards, pushing her along with him towards the trees, stronger than she could ever hope to be. "Get off me!" she cried, still muffled beneath his dirty hand.

"Stop struggling and we wont have a problem." David growled as he removed his hand from her mouth.

"Fuck you!" Charlotte spat, trying to pull away from his grip, she tried to scream but found her voice caught in her throat as David grabbed her hair and shoved her head hard against the nearest tree trunk. Searing pain shot down her face, stemming from her forehead, the point of first contact with the tree. She felt as if time was moving in slow motion and she could feel the skin on the left of her forehead slowly splitting at the contact, her nose throbbed and her left cheekbone followed suit, bleeding as he pulled her head away.

"Just shut up." David whispered, "I'd hate to have to do that again."

Charlotte whimpered, her face and head throbbing as David threw her roughly onto the ground just inches from the river edge. She pulled her wits about her quickly and scrambled to her hands and knees, crawling away from the laughing bastard behind her. A hand wrapped roughly around her booted ankle and pulled her backwards, front and face scraping across the floor. She kicked back as his hands grappled at her waist to turn her over, "No!" she gasped, "No." She slid her hands across the ground grabbing for something , anything she could find, her hand found something hard even as David's strength twisted her onto her back, she brought the object up, hard against his head, the rock, she realised that was what she had grabbed, made a disgusting crack followed by a wet squelch as it made contact with his skull. David gasped and growled face distorting with anger even as she hit him again. The second time he fell to the side, weight leaving her, she quickly scrambled away, hand slipping down the river bank and into the sun warmed water. Sweat dripped down from her hair line, stinging the cuts and scratches on her face. She breathed heavily lunging across the ground to grab her axe.

"David?" She rasped, climbing shakily to her feet. "David?"

She toed at his shoulder with her boot but his body remained limp and she received no response. "David?" she asked quietly again before stumbling backwards into the trees, towards camp, her vision blurred and doubled, "Help!" she called as she stumbled blindly through the trees, "Someone!"

The clearing of the camp appeared ahead and she blustered through into camp, "Help me!" she cried as she stumbled into a pair of arms, "Daryl" she gasped up at the shocked mans face.

"What the hell happened to you?" he grasped, legs buckling under the shock of her unexpected weight.

"David-" she sobbed, breathing heavily, "He- I hit him- I think he's dead." She glanced towards a guard and said, "You need to- I think he's dead."

She heard some commotion as people began rushing around, some surrounding them, others heading towards the river clearing.

"Let me through!" she heard Betty calling as the older lady pushed through the crowd, "Charlotte, oh girl, I shouldn't have let you go alone. I shouldn't have let him get to you."

Betty kneeled before her, dwindling first aid kit in her hands, "Did he-"

Charlotte shook her head, wincing at the throbbing pain it caused in her skull.

"He didn't have the chance." she replied, loosening her grip on Daryl's arms as he helped to move her hair back from her bloodied face.

"He did this to you? That slimy guy that you said likes to intimidate people? This what you call intimidatin'? Throwin' his weight about?"

"He's never done anything this bad before." Betty spoke for her as she pressed a swab of wet cotton against the first cut. The injury stung painfully and she hissed, "Jesus Christ!" She noticed more commotion to her right as a group of people emerged back into the camp her eyes met those of Carol who stood silently behind Daryl, an understanding, haunted expression on her face. "Is he dead?" She asked her, indicating the group fussing over David.

Carol shook her head, "No. He's moving, bleeding pretty badly though."

"Good." Daryl spat. "He should be given a taste of his own medicine. Why did no one watch him? Why isn't he kept away?"

"Because most them are the same." Charlotte whispered, cringing against the stinging touch of cloth against her face, "That's what they do. Most of them anyway. Randall, he didn't he was good. But good people don't last son long here."

"Randall?" Carol asked, face stricken.

"Yeah." Charlotte said, "He was a good kid. He never came back from a raid. But the others, if they get a woman alone, don't matter how old they are. They-" she swallowed, directing the next part to Daryl, "Don't leave any of your women alone. Don't stay here, if they find that you're of no use they'll kill you, but they'll keep the women, and the women will _wish_ they were dead."

Daryl nodded. "I understand."

**ლ****(́****౪****ლ****)**

"Daryl calm down." Rick growled, glancing wearily towards where the crossbow wielder paced.

"Calm down?! You saw what that guy did to her!" he indicated Charlotte's tent where she slept inside fitfully, her eight year old brother sat outside the tent in some useless form of protection. "You know what he would have done. And he's treated like a hero, he'll be walking round soon like nothin' happened. Free to try again!"

"Rick- we told you what she said, this is Randall's group, The ones he told us about, the rapists and murderers, no one is safe here. We have to leave as soon as we can."

Rick nodded, holding his wife close to his side, "I know."

"Charlotte comes with us." Daryl hissed, "No choice. She ain't safe, they'll kill her. She comes with."

"The kids too." Andrea stepped up, "And the old lady."

"We can't willingly leave anyone here." Carol said, "Not to this abuse."

"She can help us." Lori agreed, "She can help with the plan."

Rick swallowed, glanced towards the tent with the injured woman inside, hurt not from a walker but from the more immediate threat of a human. He looked at the boy, younger than his own son, tiredly keeping vigil outside, he thought of David, smug and slimy and free to roam the camp the moment he is stead on his feet.

"Yeah," he said, "they come too."

**ლ****(́****౪****ლ****)**

**Wasn't really sure where to leave it so just left it here.**

**I'm kind of drained after this one but then that could be because people suck. I prefer my online people like you guys, Truly!**

**So yeah. Hope you enjoyed!**


End file.
